Baths, The Space Hamden, CT April 24th, 2014, Reviewed

I got the opportunity to see Baths at The Space in Hamden, something I’d never think I would do.  Will Wiesenfeld, the genius behind Baths, hails from LA and has been described as “LA’s big new electronica musician” bySouthern California Public Radio.  He had another guy help him on stage- he had tons of mixing boards and equipment to create his complex sound.  I didn’t know what to expect from the crowd, whether it’d be dancey or not, but this tiny intimate group was in for a fantastic show.

What first impressed me was Wiesenfeld’s range.  His incredible falsetto was soft and not forced at all.  I’m pretty sure he can sing higher than I can.  It was absolutely gorgeous and all of the effects he used, such as harmonizing or reverb, added so much more.  I really didn’t know he was going to sing so much, but it was absolutely stunning.

It turns out it was a dancing crowd.  Everyone kind of did their own thing, but no one stood still.  The beats were so captivating and I caught myself dancing unintentionally a few times.  It was so infectious and everyone really let loose.  When he played “Worsening” it was almost unreal.  Everyone was entranced and couldn’t take their eyes off the musicians.  It was fascinating to watch them go from mixing board to piano to guitar to create an elaborate and well-woven sound.  His falsetto flowed over everything, and all of the noise blended together.  This is what electronic music should be- not some weirdo rave crap.  This song proves that electronica can be really well done, even live.  Watching them make the music right in front of us instead of pressing a button made them not only unique performers, but we got to see them in action.  To be honest, I really didn’t expect the live performance to be so wonderful.  They mixed sounds with no snags and the transitions were seamless.

The best song of the night for me was “Miasma Sky”.  Everyone knew the words, was dancing, and Wiesenfeld’s voice sounded even better than on the recording.  He really impressed me and it inspired me to want to do something similar.  I had no idea that there was going to be so much to their live show, and it certainly exceeded expectations.